Acoustic emission sensors generate acoustic emission signals (e.g., an electrical voltage signal) in response to acoustic emissions (e.g., transient elastic waves) sensed, measured and/or detected via a sensing element (e.g., one or more piezoelectric crystals) of the acoustic emission sensor. Sources of acoustic emissions may include the formation and/or propagation of a material defect (e.g., a crack), slip and/or dislocation movements of a material, etc.
Conventional acoustic emission measurement and detection environments include an acoustic emission sensor, a preamplifier, a filter, an amplifier, an analog to digital converter, and a data processing device (e.g., a computer). In such conventional environments, the acoustic emission signals are typically conditioned and/or modified via the preamplifier, the filter, the amplifier, and the analog to digital converter, and then subsequently analyzed at the data processing device to detect and/or characterize acoustic emission events (e.g., formation and/or propagation of a material defect, determination of a leakage rate, etc.) associated with the acoustic emission signals.